caixlsox



No Model.)

G. CARLSON. LAWN SPRINKLBR.

No. 484,294. Patented Oct. 11,1892.

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i4/@essay l UNirED STATES ATeNr erica.

LAWN-SPRINKLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 484,294, dated October 11, 1892.

Application tiled September 4, 1891. Serial No. 404.6843.l No model.

To all 107mm if may (1o/z cer/1:

13e it known that I, Mannini. (Lit-usos. a citizen of the l'nitcd .states` residingr at )linneapolis,in the countyof llcnnepin and State of Minncsta, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Lawn-Hprinklers: and I do hcreby'declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of thc invention` such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to watcr-sprinklers. It was especially designed asa lawn-sprinkler, but is capable of general application for many other uses, Such as `sprinkling gardens.

It has for its object to provide a sprinkler capable of automatically distributing the water overa relatively-large area with a relatively-small amount ot' attention as com pared with existing devices for the purpose. 'lo this end l provide a sprinkler which is automatically made to travel over the ground to be sprinkled by the pressure of the water, and the construction such that themachine may be made to pursue a definite path, variable at will, and also such that a wide distribution is given to the lstream on opposite sides of the line of travel.

As its essential fcaturcs,the sprinkler comprises a supporting-fratrie movable over the ground, a discharge-section of hose or tubingr secured on the frame and in communication with a supply of water under pressure, and propelling mechanism operated by the discharge from the said hose or tubing to propel or give travel to the supporting-frame, lroadly viewed, the frame or support may be of any suitable kind as long as it is movable over the ground, and the propelling mechanism may be of any suitable construction adapted to utilize the water-pressure to propel the machine. In my preferred construetion, however, I employ as my preferred means of utilizing the pressure a water-wheel operated bythe discharge from the hose and place wheels under the frame, to which the power from the water-wheel is applied, th rough suitable connecting devices, to propel the machine. The frame and its wheels constitute a truck or carriage supporting the hose and the propelling mechanism. To gain the requisite power from the small water-wheel, it

is driven at a high rate of speed, and a train of reducing-gear is interposed as part of the drive between the water-wheels and the truckwheels. 'lhe driveor gearing which connects thewater-wheels to thetruck-wheels includes asone of its elements a reversing-guar for revcr-sing.,r the direct ion ol' thesprinklerstravel. Thereversing-geariscmitrolledbyareversinglever adapted to be tripped to shift the gear by a projection or obstruction in the path of the machine. 'liu-sprinl-:ler is thereby made to automatically reverse the direction of its travel at any desired lixed limit,\vhieh maybe varied at will. 'l`he hose or discharge-tubeis set to discharge against the water-wheel for drivingr the sameand sprayingr the water. lloth the water-wheel and the discharge-nozzle are carried by a bracket-like vertical support,which is pivotallyconnected to the main frame and through suitable devices operated frotn the water-wheel is given a rocking inotion, 'thereby swinging the discharge-nozzle and the wheel at rightV angles to the line of travel and distributing the water to a considcrable distance on both sides of the same. 'lhe sprinkler may either be let't tree to move back and forth over the ground between the fixed limits or obstructions, which reverse its direction ot` travel, or it maybe restrained and guided lo move in any delinite path, variable at will. lt may be guided in this way by a rope made to eng-ige with some part of the frame or truck. I have shown t'or the purpose a rope loosely laid on the ground in engagement with the grooved wheels at one side of the truck. It is obvious that the rope might be stretched taut and made to pass through au eye on some part of the frame. It is equally obvious that it` grooved wheels be used on the truck any other form of track might be substituted t'or the rope. 'lhe rope used as a ground-track is, however, the most convenient, as it maybe curved at any point and is readily removable to diierent positions to vary the course of the machine.

The preferred form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like letters referring to like parts throughout- Figure l is a right-side elevation, Fig. 2 a rear elevation, and Fig. 3 a plan, of the machine.

IOO

A Il Il' li" t t" represent the truck,ol` which A is the l'rame proper, l; Il li", respectivcly, the driving-axle and its` wheels, and (1' the rear axle and its wheels.

l) is the vertical support l'or the nozzle and the water-wheel` pivoted at its lower end on the shaft 1)', secured in short standards tl, projecting from the main frame.

E is the nozzle or discharge-section of the hose, in communication by the flexible section E' with the water main or pipe containing water tindexl pressure. The nozzle is held in proper position on the support l) in any suitable way, as by a pivoted clasp c and a thumb screw e. It passes up through a suitable hole in the frame A.

F is the water-wheel, loosely mounted on the top rung or crossshatt D, fixed to the support D, and carrying on its sleeve f the grooved driving-pulley G. Mounted in suitable bearings on the frame A, below and parallel with the cross rod or shaft D', is a driving-shaft ll, having on its forward end a bevel-gearK and on its rear end a crank-arm L. The crank-arm l. is connected by a link L with a crank-arm 1.", projecting from the bracket or nozzle-support l). Motion is imparted to the driving-shaft ll from the water-wheel and drivingr -pulley G through speed-reducing mechanism ctmiprising the pulley M, over which and the drivingpnllcy G passes the driving-belt t and a train of rcducinggears X', 1, N", and Uf these X is a pinion on the pulley )L X is a pinion on the gear X2, and N" a pin on the hub ot' the gearing 'l'he said gears and their pinions are all loose on their respective supportiiig-shafts; but the gearingN" is rigid with its shaft ll and imparts motion thereto.

Ij P' are a pair ot' bevel-gears fixed to the opposite ends of a sleeve 1. mountcdoti the driving-axle l, with which it is connected by a slot and pin, as shown at p. The sleeve and its bevel-gears are therefore free to slide on the shaft or axle, but will cause the axle to turn therewith. The bevel-gears landl" are in position so that one or the other will always engage with the bevel-gear l( on the forward end ot' the shaft Il. Une of these bevel-gears, as l, is provided with a slotted hub, as shown atp', which is engaged by the pronged arm of the bell-crank lever R, piv oted to the frame at its angle and having its other arm connected to the reversing-leveror tripping-bar S. The tripping-bar S works through keepers r on the truck-frame and is ofa length to project beyond the axles of the truck. .\t its opposite ends it is formed T- shnped or provided with lateral extensions` as shown at S', t'or cooperation with a movable st ick or project ion 'l`.\\ hich may beplaeed in its path to shift the sleeve l"' and its` bevelgears to reverse the direction ot` the maehine`s travel. 'lhe tripping-bar S is held in its extreme positions by a spring-pawl Y, which engages with corresponding notchesV' and Y e ttritniingbar. The pawl has ahead with bevel-faces, so that it will he thrown oui of engagement bythecantar-tion of thotrippingbar in whichever way the bar may bo moved. .\s shown in Fig. l ol' the dr.-t\\'ings. thtl machine would move toward tho right. llv the trippingdiar be moved toward the rear into its dotted-line position, the gear l would be thrown into mesh with the gear K andthe machine driven in the opposite direction. 'l`he`projections 'l` are located in the path of the tripping-bar S at the opposite limits of the machine's travel, and thc obstruction thereby interposed is sufficient under the momentum ofthe car to move the tripping-bar and shift the reversing-gear.

W is the ropetraek or guide represented as in engagement with the right wheels li and t" of the truck, which are grooved, as shown at I1 and c, respectively.

'lhc operation of the machine is obviits. 'l`he machine will be propelled by the waterwheel backward and l'orward between the ob structions 'l`. .\t the same time the nozzle and the water-wheel will have an oscillating motion imparted from the shaft Il through the cranks l. l.and thelink .',swinging the same laterally across tite line ot travel and distributing.r tht` water to a considerable distance at each side ot the same. \\'hen the rope is employed. the line of travel may take any irregular course desired, according tothe position in which the rope is laid. (lf course it will bc understood that the flexible section ll ot' the hose connecting the nozzle with the water-pipe must be ot' sutlicient length to permit thedesired travel of the machine. 'hencvm'agiven tract or belt of the ground has been sprinkled to the desired exi tent, the obstructions. 'l are removed to the opposite ends of another tract and themachine set to work on that. If the rope track be employed, that will also be removed t0 guide the sprinkler in its new course. A `sprinkler constructed in this way will travcrse any ordinary lawn, thepower developed being quite sullicient to drag the hose for a distance of one hundred feet or more.

It will be understood that many inodifica tions` in the construction and arrangements of the different parts illustrated in the drawings might be made without departing from the principle and spirit of my invention. 'lhus the frame of the machine may be supported upon any suitable running-gear, the form and location of the water-motor may bc varied, and dill'erent power transmitting mechanism may be interposed between the motor and the running-gear. I believe that l am the lirst'. to construct a lawn-sprinkler which will automatically tra-vel upon the ground to bo sprinkled in any desired course.

What I claim. and desire to secure by Let;- ters latent of the lfnited States, is as follows:

l. A sprinkler comprising a truck movable orerthe ground, a discharge-nozzle carried by 'te truck, a flexible hose of suflicient length to permit the travel of the sprinkler, connect- IOO IIO

ing said nozzle to a supply of water under pressure, a Water-wheel mounted on the truck operated b v the discharge from the nozzle and adapted to serve both as a power-wheel and a spraying device, and a drive or gearing for conveying motion from. the said Watervvheel to the truck-wheel to propel the truck, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the truck movable ou the ground, of the discharge-nozzle carried by the said truck, the flexible hose of sufficient length to pt rmit the travel of the sprinkler, connecting the said nozzle with a fixed pipe containingr water under pressure, the water-Wheel mounted on the said truck and adapted tobc actuated by the discharge o-t water from the said hose and serve both as a power-wheel and sprayer, a drive or gearing for conveying motion from the said waterwheel to the truck-wheels, including as one of its elements a reversing-gear, andarevcrsing-lever for shitting said gear, adapted to be tripped or operated by an obstacle in the path of the truck to reverse the direction of travel, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the truck movable over the ground, of the pivoted support carried by said truck, the discharge-nozzle andthe Water-Wheel mounted on said pivoted support, the flexible hose connecting the said nozzle with the water-supply pipe and of sufficient length to permit the travel of the sprinkler, the drive or gearing for transmitting motion from the said water-wheel to the truck-wheeLand theroeking connections from said support to the said drive or gearing, arranged to swing the said support transversely to the line of travel, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination, with the truck movable over the ground, of the pivoted support carried by the truck, the discharge-nozzle and the water-wheel mounted on said pivoted snpport, the flexible hose connecting the said nozzle with the water-supply pipe, a drivingshaft on the truck-frame, connected to the truck-Wheels, a counter-shaft also located on said truck-frame and forming the pivotal connection between the said support and the said truck-frame, a train of reducing-gears couneeting the said shafts, driving connections between the water-Wheel and the countershat't, a crank-arm on the lower end of the said pivoted support, and a rod connecting the said cran k-arm to a crank on the said driving-shaft, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combi11ation,\vith an automaticallytraveling sprinkler having a water-motor and one or more grooved truck-Wheels, of a flexible pipe for supplying water to the motor and a flexible rope or cable resting upon the ground, the said truck-wheels being adapted to run upon and be guided b v the cable, whereby the sprinkler may be directed in any desired course, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the truck movable over the ground, ot' the discharge-nozzle and the flexible section of hose carried by the truck, the water-wheel operated by the discharge from the said nozzle and serving both as a power-wheel and a sprayer, and driving connections from the said water-'Wheel to the truck-wheel, including as elements thereof a train of reducing-gears for converting the speed of the water-wheel into power with slow motion on the truck, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. The combination, with the truck movable over the ground, of the p ivoted support carried by the truck-frame, the discharge-nozzle and the water-Wheel on said pivoted. support, a train of gearing on the truck-frame for operating the truck-wheels, and driving connections between the Water-wheel aud the train ot` gears for communicating motion and permitting a swinging movement to the said support Without disturbing the driving connections, substantially as described.

In testimony' whereof I aflix mysignatnre in presence of two witnesses.

GABRIEL CARLSON. Witnesses:

Jas. F. W1 LLL-Lusen, Emu F. Emmi-2n. 

